


His Little Garden

by rememberednoah



Series: summer break stucky au's [3]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Captain America - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Breaking and Entering, Cussing, Fluff, Gardens & Gardening, I'm Bad At Tagging, M/M, Pre-Serum Steve Rogers, Skinny Steve, good kid steve, sort of meet-ugly, trouble-maker bucky
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-12
Updated: 2015-07-16
Packaged: 2018-04-08 21:38:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 15,811
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4321680
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rememberednoah/pseuds/rememberednoah
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In which Bucky Barnes is a reckless little shit and accidentally acts like an asshole. In which Steve tries not to cry when his small garden is destroyed by said reckless Bucky Barnes. In which Bucky tries to make it up to Steve.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I sort of mixed two au's from [this](http://toxixpumpkin.tumblr.com/post/109308642514/good-kid-troublemaker-aus) tumblr post. To be more specific [these two](http://i.imgur.com/eBTyl8V.jpg). I simply could not resist.

Bucky did not consider himself an asshole. Sure, he could be a bit of a jerk sometimes, but he would never intentionally crush someone's heart in his hand just because he could. Bucky was just a bit vengeful and a bit reckless and, well, that didn't take him to good places. It especially didn't land him in a good place that night. 

The original plan had been rather simple. He and his friends would go to the Rogers residence, home to one Sheriff Rogers who had a rod stuck up his ass, and they would vandalize a little. It was all pretty straight forward. Maybe spray paint the word 'DICK' on the fence surrounding his backyard. Maybe they ruined his perfectly tended to lawn a little, ripping up some patches and possibly also spray painting it. Sure, it was a rather crazy idea considering they were talking about the home of the _sheriff_ , but said sheriff was an _ass_ and Bucky no longer gave one single flying fuck. 

What, or rather _who_ , Bucky had failed to take into consideration was the son of the sheriff. Steve Rogers aka the total opposite of his father. He was a scrawny little brainiac and history freak that leaned more towards _angel_ than human. Bucky certainly had no problems with the dude, hell, he _liked_ him, _a lot_ , so he hadn't really thought of how the guy could have been affected. Sure, it was also his house, but he wasn't the one being attacked. Again, he was a saint, Bucky most certainly did **not** want to upset him. 

He sort of royally fucked that up in a minute that night. He and his friends had successfully broken into the house (the backyard to be more specific) and had trampled in with the grace of an elephant. What this meant was that it was pitch black and they tripped over one another and stepped pretty much **everywhere**. 

There was the sound of something snapping quickly followed by a _squirt_ and Bucky glared at the darkness around him. "Would you guys keep it the fuck down?" 

The other boys muttered words in reply that were indistinguishable and Bucky rolled his eyes. He kept walking toward what he hoped was the very far end of the backyard and choked on a gasp when he tripped over something and heard a loud _snap_. 

"Now who needs to keep quiet?" one of the boys said and Bucky glared at the owner of the voice in the darkness. 

"Shut up," Bucky mumbled, straightening and kicking aside whatever it was that had nearly made him trip. 

Just a few seconds later, they all ended up at the far back where the perfect white picket fence (their new victim) stood waiting for them. 

Bucky elbowed whoever stood beside him, which ended up being Dum Dum, and demanded the can of spray paint from him. His friend grumbled under his breath before he pretty much threw the can at Bucky. Bucky thankfully caught it, not that any of them would have noticed it if he made an ass of himself and did not catch it, and began to unceremoniously paint the word 'DICK' on the fence before him. 

The other boys strayed some from Bucky, but only to do the same thing Bucky was doing on other sides of the fence. They stomped around with the force of a brute giant and tried not to snicker as they carried out their mischief. They all pretty much knew they would be fucked if they were caught, but in the heat of the moment none of them much cared. 

By the time Bucky Barnes noticed they were no longer alone, he had his hands full of grass he had forcefully uprooted. He was _literally_ caught red-handed by the last person he wanted to be seen by. Steve Rogers, golden haired, blue eyed and skinny son of the sheriff, stood just under the doorframe of the backdoor of the house, flashlight in hand pointed directly at Bucky. Bucky Barnes thought this was possibly the perfect moment for the ground to swallow him whole and put him out of his misery. . . But it only got worse after that. 

Bucky typically had a perfect smart-assed comment to say in these type of situations. He had nothing to say this time, though, and simply watched, mildly in horror, as Steve moved the flashlight over the expanse of his small backyard. What was worse than knowing he had been caught by the son of the sheriff was seeing the fucking _wrecked_ and _hurt_ expression on his face and in the blue of his eyes. They widened fractionally as they saw all that Bucky and his friends had done and they grew progressively more pained. Bucky noted that the blonde did not cry, but he certainly looked like he was about to (or at the very least he was on the edge of having an asthma attack only by the sheer force of what it seemed he was feeling). 

"My apple tree," Steve mumbled and Bucky watched in horror as the blonde walked to a specific spot. He followed the movements of the blonde and saw as his flashlight illuminated what seemed to be the shattered remains of what used to be the small beginnings of an apple tree. Then Bucky watched as Steve illuminated another spot and saw more trampled remains and whispered, almost too low for Bucky to possibly hear, "My tomatoes. My avocados. Destroyed. What—"

Steve then looked back at Bucky, who at some point had let go of the grass in his hands, and shone the light brightly at him. He stepped over to him, his expression completely tortured, and he said, "Why would you do this? That was my garden, small as it looks." 

Bucky felt like he was being repeatedly stabbed in the heart. He had fucked up so bad. He glanced back at the ruined remains of Steve's little garden and felt like a total asshole. He looked back at Steve and immediately wished he had not. The blonde did not look angry, not in the least, he just looked _sad_ and confused. It was like Bucky had kicked a puppy (a very cute golden puppy that most certainly did _not_ deserve to be kicked. . .not that any dog deserved to be kicked for that matter). 

"Look, I'm sorry. We didn't do that on purpose," Bucky said in a rush, almost reaching out to Steve but then reminding himself not to. 

Steve kept looking at him with that sad puppy look and Bucky felt his chest tightening. He wanted to make it better. Hell, he wanted a time machine so he could stop it from happening at all. "Shit. I'm sorry. I'll get you some new plants. I'll fix it, okay? I'll fix it." 

The flashlight in Steve's hand trembled slightly as he looked back at what used to be his apple tree. "You can't fix it. I planted the seeds of all of these when my mom died. Two years ago. Those are two years wasted and—" 

Bucky was pretty sure he could not sink lower. He had officially fallen into _dick_ status. He'd fucking ruined the garden Steve Rogers had planted in memory of his mother. The woman, the upstanding citizen, cop, mother, that had died of cancer. Yeah, somebody needed to shoot Bucky right about then. "Fucking hell. I'm sorry. Okay? I'm so fucking sorry. Just let me get you some new plants. Any you want. I'll help you plant them and all just—" 

Steve took in a shaky breath and looked back at Bucky. He nodded softly and seemed to forcibly hold back the tears threatening to come out of his eyes. "Okay. Make sure my dad doesn't catch you." 

The blonde walked back to the door he had emerged from and turned back one last time to speak directly at Bucky, completely ignoring the presence of the others in his backyard. "I'll talk to you in school."

Then Steve disappeared from sight and Bucky felt even shittier than he had two seconds before.

**{ • • • • • • }**

The day Bucky showed up to his house with arms full of gardening stuff he never thought he would hold, he was caught by his sister Becca. She gave him a no-nonsense look and pointed at all the things in his arms. She pursed her lips and asked, "What did you do?" 

Bucky tried for about two seconds to avoid the question, but then his sister threatened to barrel toward him and there was no way he would let her ruin all he had bought. It had cost fucking _money_ and he could not lose it. Plus, he'd already told Steve he would be going over to his house that afternoon. He couldn't backtrack now. He'd put the blonde through enough torture. So, to save himself and the plants, he explained to his sister the reason why he looked like an unexpected gardener. 

Her eyes turned as big as saucers when he finished explaining and she said, "What is wrong with you? Not only what you did was **illegal** , it also hurt poor Steve. What did he ever do to you?" 

"Nothin'. He didn't do anything. I was just a reckless dick and I'm paying the price," he replied, setting down all he had bought neatly in a corner of the living room. 

"I'm guessing mom and dad don't know what you did and much less does the sheriff know?" she asked, looking completely unimpressed and disappointed. 

"Nah, Steve covered for me."

"You didn't deserve it," Becca said before turning on her heel and heading back to her room. 

Bucky would be lying if he said the words didn't sting. They hurt all the more coming from his little sister, the girl who was usually his personal little ray of sunshine. It was all just more confirmation that he had fucked up. Big time. 

Bucky just added the words to the growing list of reasons to feel shitty and locked himself in his room to sulk while he waited for when it was time to go to Steve's house. He had a good two hours of waiting ahead of him so he just threw himself onto his bed and decided to doze off, making sure he set up an alarm for when he had to go to Steve's house. 

It was exactly two hours and fifteen minutes later when Bucky got to the Rogers residence. Even with arms full of gardening supplies and nothing but good intentions, Bucky felt like he was walking toward his death. He set everything he had bought on the porch and preparing himself to be given shit by Steve's dad, Bucky knocked on the door. 

"Coming!" Steve called out and Bucky's heart skipped a beat. Why did he have to fuck things up so badly with the cutest and nicest human being in his school? Right, because he's an idiot. 

A few seconds later, the front door opened and Steve was revealed. He had a sheepish expression on his face, but it lit up slightly when he saw everything Bucky had bought. He immediately took hold of the small apple tree that rested in its small pot and the equally small avocado tree in its respective pot. He then eyed the other packets of seeds Bucky had bought and the bag of soil Bucky had also purchased. "You didn't have to get all this." 

"Yes, I did," Bucky said, picking up what Steve had not immediately taken hold of. Bucky had been tempted to buy _more_ , but then he noticed the scarce amount of money he had left and chose not to buy more. 

He waited for Steve to invite him in and it was only after a heartbeat that he did so. 

"Come on. My dad won't be here for another hour, so you should be safe," Steve said, shutting the door behind Bucky after he had stepped inside. 

Looking at the interior of the home for the first time, Bucky felt even more like an ass. Everything was neat and in its place and there were pictures lined on the walls of Sarah Rogers with little Steve in her arms and there were also a few pictures of the three members of the family smiling happily together. It was like stepping into the home of the perfect family, only that it missed one of its most important members. Bucky shook the thought out of his mind and was caught intently staring at a picture of Sarah and Steve making what seemed to be an apple pie. Steve was smiling mischievously, eyes bright blue and happy, and Sarah stood beside him frozen in mid-laugh. They were both far more caked in flour than they should be, but the smiles on their lips was enough proof that neither of them cared. It was outstanding to see how much Steve looked like his mom, Bucky had almost forgotten their similarity. . .

"Bucky, we should get going," Steve said, purposefully not looking at the picture Bucky had been staring at. 

"Yeah, sorry," Bucky mumbled and followed after Steve, trying not to look as shitty as he felt. 

Once they were outside and stood in front of where they were about to plant, Bucky warned, "I'm not much of a gardener. Just a fair warning." 

"Yeah, breaking and entering and vandalizing are more up your alley," Steve said, but not unkindly. He said the words more like a statement than a critic and shrugged. "Don't worry 'bout it. I'll walk you through it."

And that Steve Rogers did. By the time they were both done, Bucky had sworn to never again in his life ever do anything related in the least to gardening. It was not fun and it ended up with him covered in dirt (although this was mostly due to the fact that Steve only had one pair of gloves and Bucky had bought none for himself). Not only that, but it was manual labor Bucky was not used to and the only satisfaction he got from it was the smile on Steve's face after they were done. 

"Thanks for buying all this stuff," Steve said, face sweaty but the smile on his face seeming genuine. Bucky wasn't sure why he was smiling at all, if Bucky wasn't such a fuck-up Steve wouldn't have needed to do this at all, but he couldn't help but like how the smile lit up the blonde's face. 

"He wouldn't have had to if he had stayed home." The voice was impossible to not recognize. It was stern and with just a small edge of anger. 

Bucky bolted to his feet and was poised and ready to run when he saw the expression on Sheriff Rogers' face. Normally he would be ready to fight the sheriff, but Steve was there and all his cockiness had been seeped up by the grass underneath him. He was prepared to give a speech, but all that came out was, "Sheriff."

"Did you invite him here, Steven?" Sheriff Rogers asked, fixing his son with a serious expression. 

Steve stood up straight and nodded. "Yeah, he wanted to help me with my garden." 

"Because he's the reason it's ruined," Sheriff Rogers said, voice raised and more than just hinting at anger. 

"Mom would have given him a second chance!" Steve exclaimed, sounding outraged. His ears were turning bright red and he was glowering at his dad as if daring him to keep arguing. 

"She did! Multiple times! God knows she's the only reason he's not in juvy right now." 

Steve glared at his father and grabbed Bucky by his arm. Bucky just stared as he was dragged away by Steve to the front door. Bucky could tell they were not being followed by the sheriff, but the thought dissipated when Steve opened the door and gently nudged him outside before saying, "Mom would have forgiven you. I know you didn't intentionally ruin my garden and I forgive you. Go home." 

Bucky nodded and began to walk toward his car. He kept eying behind Steve's figure, trying to make out the shape of Sheriff Rogers, but the older man was nowhere in sight. When Bucky held open the car door, he heard Steve call out, "And for God's sake, stay out of trouble!" 

Bucky couldn't help but smile at that. Maybe, just maybe, he hadn't fucked up as bad as he thought he had. . . And maybe, though he would deny it if ever asked, Steven Grant Rogers had stolen in that moment a little piece of Bucky's heart.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Bucky gets into a little mischief. In which Bucky and his sister make apple pie (for Steve).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, the Howling Commandos are Bucky's friends but since I don't know squat about them I never mention names (except Dum Dum). Just be glad to know its them and just, if you feel like it, assign a name to whoever said something xD

Bucky followed Steve's advice for about two point five seconds. . . Well, to be frank he lasted a bit longer than that. He spent one _whole_ week without getting into the smallest bit of trouble. It was a record for Bucky, but like all things in life, it came to an end. Not that it was his fault! It wasn't! He'd already made plans with his friends **before** Steve told him to stay out of trouble and it wasn't like he could just abandon his friends. No, he stuck by them no matter what. 

Which was how Bucky landed himself, in the middle of the night, breaking into his high school. As already stated, it had **not** been his idea, but his friends had warmed him up to it all day and he now felt the buzz of electricity coursing through his veins that meant he was about to do something illegal and that could potentially land him in jail. He couldn't help it! He liked the feeling of imminent danger at the possibility of being caught. 

So, him and the boys made their way to the front of the school (because it was far too simple to graffiti the back. . .it had to be where everyone would see). The boys passed around cans of spray paint to each other and set out to work. None of them were anywhere near being artists so that landed their graffiti in the area most people called "shit" and nowhere near art. Bucky didn't really care either way and neither did his friends. 

"Won't your boyfriend be disappointed when he finds out you defaced school property?" one of the boys said, snickering and his white teeth flashing in the darkness. 

Bucky smacked the back of his head and grumbled, sounding like a petulant child, "He's not my boyfriend. Plus, for him to know we'd have to be caught." 

"As if the sheriff won't know it was us. He's an ass not stupid," a voice to Bucky's left said. 

"Would you guys shut up? Do you _want_ someone to hear us and call the cops on us?" another of the boys said, sounding annoyed. 

They all immediately fell silent and set back to work. The only sounds heard were those of the cans and of their feet shuffling as they moved about. For about two minutes they were successfully left alone and not bothered. Immediately after those two minutes, the sound of a police siren shocked the boys into movement. 

"Shit! We gotta go," Bucky said. All the boys nodded and as the red and blue lights began to appear in the vision of the boys, they began to run.

Bucky made a run for it as fast as he could and laughed when he heard a cop call out, "Hey! Stop right there!"

The other boys joined him in his laughter and they ran even faster. Together they jumped over the fence surrounding the school and kept running and running, gaining as much distance between themselves and the school as possible. At some point, they threw aside the cans of spray paint (add littering to their list of offenses), but this was done more out of second-nature than because they _had_ to get rid of the cans. 

None of them stopped running until they reached the house nearest to them which happened to be Bucky's. They all barreled against the door, making the wood bang, and Bucky elbowed the guy closest to him. "What the hell is wrong with you guys? Do you want to wake up the whole house?" 

"Sorry," they all mumbled while Bucky took out his keys and opened the door like civilized people did. 

Bucky let them all step inside and closed the door behind him. He ran a hand through his long dark hair and listened for a couple of seconds to make sure no one in the house had woken up. When the latter was confirmed, he let out a sigh that turned into an almost choked laugh. He was breathing quickly, trying to get as much oxygen as possible into his lungs, and his heart beat harshly in his chest. 

"You're all the worst," Bucky said in a puffed out laugh. 

The boys laughed and shoved Bucky around in the total darkness of the entrance of the house. They all still sounded exhilarated with the thrill of getting away unscathed once more and Bucky just couldn't believe how fucking lucky they were. "I'm sure Saint Steve would have been proud of you today." 

The boys laughed at the words and elbowed Bucky. He glared at them in the darkness and began to walk to his room. In a light-hearted tone he said, "Fuck all of you." 

"Only after Steve does. We're nice folk 'round here. Wouldn't want Saint Steve to get used goods," one of the boys said, the words followed by the laughter of the others. 

"You guys are not nearly as funny as you think you are," Bucky said, opening the door to his room. All the boys stepped inside after him and promptly looked for the pillows and blankets they had stored in Bucky's closet for moments like these. 

Bucky didn't know why he put up with those idiots. It was possible he only did because he'd known them for so long. 

With a sigh, Bucky stripped himself of most of his clothes, only keeping on his white undershirt and his boxers. He threw aside the covers on his bed and settled in. He turned to face the wall and whispered, "None of you fucking dare to get in this bed. I'll kill you if I have to." 

"Yes, Prince Bucky," they all chorused. 

Bucky told himself not to smother them all with his pillow before he went to bed.

**

{ • • • • • • }

**

When Bucky got home from school, he set on the counter all the ingredients he had just bought from his short stop at the grocery store. He was now positively penniless, all his saved up allowance spent, but it was for the greater good. Ever since Bucky had helped Steve with his garden, and after receiving the advice of the blonde, they hadn't talked again. It wasn't that Bucky had expected them to magically turn into best friends, but he figured he had found an excuse to talk to the blonde. He effectively had not and now he was searching for an excuse to talk to Steve. He had plenty of ways to land himself in front of Sheriff Rogers, but that was _not_ who he wanted to talk to. 

Not only had Bucky been looking for any reason to talk to or interact in any way with Steve, he had been given an idea on how to do so by one of his friends. Sure, it had been recommended as a _joke_ , but he'd found it a good idea. He had accidentally praised his friend on the idea and they had all burst out laughing. Yeah, they were assholes and they also happened to know Bucky had a big fat crush on Steve. Bucky was not sure _when_ it had developed, it wasn't like he talked to Steve all that much for the crush to take form, but it had sort of morphed into a huge monster that had taken over Bucky's heart. Which was another way of saying Bucky went stupid wherever Steve was concerned. This explained why he simply _couldn't_ behave like his usual smart-assed self in front of Steve. 

See, what made matters worse was that Bucky had developed a crush on the son of his worst enemy aka Sheriff Rogers. Bucky was pretty sure he could not get more cliché than that. He wanted to smack himself just thinking about how ridiculous it all was. He would have thought he would have gotten over his crush on the blonde a while ago, but it had sort of rooted itself more fiercely when he wrecked Steve's garden. Now wasn't that a joke? He made himself an ass in front of sweet Steve and all that made him was like the blonde more. Bucky wasn't sure if it was lucky or not that Steve was so goddamned nice. 

Bucky's thoughts were then interrupted by a loud, "I want to help! I wanna help! Can I help?" 

Becca had appeared out of thin air and into the kitchen. Her chest was heaving quickly, the only sign that she had ran to the kitchen, and Bucky wondered how the hell she had known he was going to make something. It was possible his little sister was a mind reader. 

"Yeah, you can help. Maybe your help will make this a success instead of a disaster," Bucky said, beaming a smile at his little sister. 

She grinned back at him and went in search of the cook book in the kitchen. Once she had found it, she set it harshly with a loud _smack_ on the counter and asked, "What are we making?"

"Apple pie," Bucky said, slowly feeling himself fill with dread. It was the first time Bucky made a pie in his life. There were simply too many things that could go wrong. 

"Let's do this!" Becca said cheerfully, and at her command they set out to work.

After a painfully long time (thankfully cut slightly short by the fact that Bucky had bought the crust instead of making it himself), the pie was ready. It rested on the kitchen counter, looking golden and deceitfully delicious. Bucky eyed it cautiously and then looked back at his sister. She was positively beaming and looking like she'd just won an award. Of course, this then had to be followed by a question. 

"Why did we just make apple pie? We've never made apple pie before. Usually if we want some, we buy it," she said, turning her eyes toward Bucky. 

Bucky sighed and opened his arms out to her. She eyed him suspiciously before walking toward him and straight into his arms. He wrapped his arms around her in a tight hug and whispered, "Because your big brother is an idiot."

He then kissed the top of her head and tightened his hold on her even more. This was met with a quick complaint, "I need to breathe, Bucky." 

"If you insist," he said and loosened his hold on her. She looked up at him and smiled smartly. 

"We're not gonna eat any of this pie, are we?" 

"Who made you so smart? Hm? When did that happen?" Bucky asked, trying to avoid the smile that wanted to take shape on his lips. 

"It happens while you're out being a delinquent," she said, making a funny face at him. 

Bucky choked on a laugh and shook his head at her. He gave her a small push and said, "Is that what your teachers call me? A delinquent?" 

"They would never!" she said in an exaggerated tone of offense. 

He laughed and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Whatever you say, Becca. Now, don't you have some homework to do?" 

She pursed her lips at him and asked, "Don't you?" 

"Don't get smart with me," he said, narrowing his eyes at her. 

His little sister literally giggled before disappearing to her room. Bucky sighed as he watched her go, smiling as he felt warmth spread over his chest. He really loved his little sister. 

Bucky got to his feet at the same moment his phone beeped to let him know he'd just gotten a text. It simply read: _have you finished making pie for your husband?_

Bucky texted back: _dick_

He didn't bother to check whatever his friend replied and abandoned his phone on the counter. He made his way to his room in search for some clean clothes so he could shower and ignored the sound of Becca singing at the top of her lungs while she possibly studied for math.

**{ • • • • • • }**

Bucky somehow convinced himself to make it to Steve's house that night at seven o'clock sharp. He wasn't sure what had possessed him to come at an hour when Sheriff Rogers could open the door, but he was there and there was an apple pie in his hand and it was too late for him to just leave. At least that's what Bucky told himself because he was _not_ a chicken.

Straightening and taking a deep breath, Bucky knocked on the door. It was just, obviously, Bucky's luck that the door was opened by Sheriff Rogers. The older man eyed Bucky with a serious expression and then looked at the apple pie in Bucky's hand as if it had somehow committed a crime. 

Bucky, because he could not help himself and because Steve was nowhere in sight, smirked at Sheriff Rogers. "I’m here to steal your son into the night. Also, I brought pie." 

"Leave. You're not welcome here, James," Sheriff Rogers said, his eyes stone cold. 

"Really? We'll see about that." Bucky's smirk turned into a full-blown grin and he called out, "Steve? Are you home?" 

Bucky did not hear a reply, but he did hear the sound of Steve's feet slapping on the tiled floor of the home as he ran toward the door. The blonde nearly crashed against the back of his father, but caught himself just in time.

"Dad, please," Steve said softly behind his dad. 

Sheriff Rogers' jaw tightened and he looked at Bucky like he thought he was insufferable. He opened wide the door, almost against his will, and Bucky stepped inside. Bucky couldn't help the ear to ear grin he had on his face. The sheriff looked away from Bucky and back at his son and said, "You better hope he doesn't do anything stupid."

"He won't," Steve said, closing the door behind Bucky. 

Bucky tried his hardest not to laugh mockingly when Sheriff Rogers disappeared from sight. Steve noted his expression, though, and his lips turned into a serious line. Bucky immediately dropped the smile from his lips and awkwardly offered the pie still in his hands to Steve. "Um, I made you some pie. Well, me and my sister. It's probably nowhere near as good as your mom's but—" 

Bucky shrugged and made a bigger point of offering the pie toward Steve. The blonde smiled slightly and took the pie from his hands. He walked toward the kitchen and set the pie into the fridge. "I'll have some of it later. I promise." 

"Yeah, okay," Bucky said with a small nod. He then looked awkwardly around him and tried to figure out where all his cool had run off to. He opted, then, to ask, "How's the garden going?" 

"Come on. I'll show you," Steve said, motioning for Bucky to follow after him. He then said, "It hasn't changed much since we planted it all, but it's only been a week." 

Steve flipped a switch near the door at the back of the house and when he opened the door, the backyard was filled with light. Bucky tried not to think too hard about the possibility that Steve had not turned on the light when Bucky broke into his house to keep his dad from waking up. Yeah, Bucky was very lucky indeed. 

"Come on," Steve said, his voice turning cheerier as he stepped closer to where Bucky had helped him revive his garden. 

It didn't look much different than the last time Bucky had seen it, but then he saw the expression on Steve's face and kept his mouth shut. The blonde's eyes were big and full of light and there was a smile peaking on his lips as he looked at his new small garden. Steve looked away from the small trees, more specifically his apple tree, and turned back to look at Bucky. He sort of shrunk into himself a little and shoved his hands into the pockets of the pale blue hoodie he wore. 

"How come you didn't invite me to vandalize the school?" Steve asked, giving him the single most innocent look in existence, all blue eyes and disappointment. Then his lips shifted into a small smirk and he said, "I could have taken selfies with you guys! Hashtag life of crime. Hashtag with da crew. I didn't choose the thug life, the thug life chose me." 

Bucky wished then that the ground would swallow him at the words of the blonde. He was fucked. Steve knew what had happened. The fucking sheriff had probably accused him and told his son that Bucky was responsible even though the man had no proof. It was bullshit! Well, technically speaking he _had_ done it, but that was beside the point! The sheriff had no proof and he had no right to tell Steve that Bucky had done it. 

Instead of saying anything of what he was thinking, Bucky stared up at the sky and said, "Yeah, we certainly would have been caught if you had been there." 

Steve laughed and took a step closer to Bucky. "Why do you do it? To get back at my dad?" 

Bucky shook his head even though getting on the nerves of Steve's dad was half the fun on it. "It's fun. It's just— You wouldn't get it." 

Steve scoffed and shook his head. "I fail to see how risking getting caught by the cops is anywhere near fun." 

"I'd offer you to come with us one night, but then if we needed to make a run for it you'd probably have an asthma attack. And then I'd probably have a freak out trying to help you and die." 

Steve laughed at that and Bucky called it a small victory. The blonde shook his head and pushed aside his blonde hair from his forehead. "Exaggerated much?" 

"I don't think so. The night would probably end with your dad finding me dead and you still having an asthma attack and then he'd revive me just to arrest me for nearly getting you killed." 

Steve snorted as a laugh possessed him and Bucky tried his hardest not to find it adorable. The blonde shook with his laughter and gave Bucky a small shove. "You're terrible. And I would never let my dad arrest you if I was there or at least I'd make him arrest me too." 

"Right," Bucky said, slipping his hands into the back pockets of his jeans. 

Steve sort of smiled, his cheeks a soft shade of red, and pointed at the back door of the house. "You should probably go before my dad finds a reason to kick you out." 

Bucky nodded quickly and backtracked toward the door. "Yeah, okay." 

Steve walked to the front door and opened it for him. Bucky hovered under the door frame, eyeing Steve, not really wanting to leave the house quite yet. Steve almost reached out for him, his thin fingers inching just a fraction toward Bucky's jacket, but then he harshly shoved his hands into the pockets of his hoodie. "Please try to stay out of trouble. My dad is on the border of driving me toward insanity because of you and I'd really like not to hear every day how you're a _hooligan_ and I need to stay away from you because I might catch your behavior as if it were a disease." 

Bucky barked out a laugh and asked, "He calls me a hooligan? Really?" 

"And other things. . ." Steve drifted off and shrugged, eyes darting to Bucky's car. 

"Yeah, let's just keep it at hooligan," Bucky said and stepped out of the house. He lifted his hand up in a small wave goodbye and Steve did the same.

**{ • • • • • • }**

Bucky was sitting at his usual table eating lunch with his friends when Steve suddenly walked up to him. Dum Dum was in the middle of telling an over exaggerated and complicated story when the blonde suddenly made his way toward them. Dum Dum literally froze, his mouth still open with whatever word he was about to say, the second Steve stopped walking and stood directly behind Bucky.

Bucky turned back to look at the blonde, shocked at the mere idea that he was even truly there. Steve held his lunch tray in both his hands, blonde hair messy and uncombed over his forehead, blue eyes big and full of certainty. He offered Bucky an almost shy smile, like he was not sure if it was allowed to smile nicely in front of Bucky's friends, and he leaned slightly closer to Bucky. 

"Thanks for the pie, Buck," Steve said. And then, to make sure Bucky fell helplessly into the pit that was his crush on the blonde, Steve pressed a quick kiss on Bucky's cheek. 

Clearly, the perfect response to this was what came out of Bucky's lips. "It was terrible, wasn't it?" 

Steve laughed, an actual full laugh, cheeks heating up and his eyes crinkling at the corners. "It could use some improvement." 

"Perfect. Then teach this poor soul how to make better pies," one of Bucky's friends said, throwing an arm around Bucky's shoulders. 

Steve's lips turned into the smallest of smirks and he said, "Only if he promises to be less of an ass to my dad."

And then Steve walked away before Bucky could even form a coherent thought. This moment of silence, of course, was taken by his friends to start laughing. 

"You're so fucked, Buchanan. So fucked." 

"I know," was all Bucky could manage to reply, his thoughts still frozen over the fact that Steve had just kissed his cheek. For fucks sakes, why did Bucky have to be such a goddamned cliché?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, there it is! More of this fic. I think it'll have one more part after this and no more. 
> 
> PS. Feel free to send me some recommendations of what these two boys can get up to in the next chapter!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Bucky and Steve go on a date. Or in which Steve tricks Bucky into making pie and (sort of) behaving around his dad.

Bucky was not completely sure how it happened. It was that sometimes trouble came running towards Bucky and he somehow ended up meeting it halfway and they embraced in a tangle of limbs. Seriously, it was a bit too much. Bucky was trying to stay on the straight and narrow path, unless he somehow saw Sheriff Rogers around, but the universe was making it impossible. Was it truly such a horror to the universe that Bucky wanted to behave so he wouldn't scare Steve away with his antics? 

It apparently was terrible as Bucky found himself in the principal's office that day with a bust lip and his knuckles red and raw. He didn't even feel the pain. All he kept thinking was that he was spiraling deeper into the hole of trouble he had dug for himself years ago and he wanted to crawl out. He sat on the chair before the principal's desk, his leg bouncing up and down anxiously as he absently heard the idiot beside him tell his side of the story. Bucky wanted to crawl out of his skin and just _leave_ , but he had no choice. If Bucky didn't stay put and acted pretty, the principal would call his parents and he would be truly fucked if that happened. His parents were tired of his shit and left him mostly alone if they weren't called whenever he got into trouble. 

The dude beside him, whom Bucky had no clue how the fuck he was called, kept talking and acting like some sort of victim. The guy had come toward Bucky, looking for a fight, and he expected not to get his ass kicked? No. No fucking way. Bucky wasn't looking for shit, but he didn't know how to be the better man. He didn't know how to defuse situations nor did he want to learn how to do so. So, Bucky had successfully beaten the shit outta the guy and had simply smirked when the principal had been called to "deal with them". 

When the guy finished talking, Bucky was glaring holes into the principal's desk. He only looked up when the principal directly spoke to him, "What do you have to say on the matter, Mr. Barnes?" 

"This little shit came to _me_ looking for a fucking fight. My friends can tell you that _he_ was the one that approached _me_. I only gave him what he asked for," Bucky said with a disgusted sneer in the direction of the boy. He wasn't sure who he wanted to punch more, the principal for forcing him to go to his office or the guy for being the asshole that landed him in the principal's office. 

The guy shifted uncomfortably in his chair and the principal sighed tiredly. Bucky raised an eyebrow at the older man and waited for whatever he had to say. "We have talked about your language before, Mr. Barnes. The facts still remain that you were in a fight, Mr. Barnes, and I don't care who started it. You finished it. Both of you get detention for a week and you better stay out of trouble or I'll have you both expelled."

"You can't just expel us!" Bucky exclaimed, slapping his hands firmly onto the principal's desk. The sound echoed in the small office and the guy beside Bucky literally flinched when he heard it. 

"I haven't yet, but I will if you leave me no choice, Mr. Barnes. Now leave my office," the principal said, looking at Bucky like he was the scum of the earth. 

"Fuck you," Bucky said, flipping him the bird and storming out of the office without a backward glance. 

He began to walk toward the doors of the school so he could just _leave_ and drive away because everything was just _bullshit_ in Bucky's life. He was seething with anger, bubbling over with it, and he knew he had to leave before he did something that got him into even bigger trouble. He knew he still had to make it back to the school for detention, he hated the principal but was not stupid, but right at that second he needed _out_. 

When he saw a head of familiar blonde hair walking in his direction, Bucky hesitated and slowed his walk. Steve picked up his pace, jogging toward him, and Bucky stopped walking so the blonde could catch up. When Steve stopped just in front of him, Bucky felt his blue eyes scan all over him and freeze on his hands. The blue eyes of the blonde narrowed and he pointed at Bucky's hands. "What happened there?"

Bucky was still seething with anger, riled up by his brief encounter with the principal, and he let out a dry laugh. "Nothin'. I got into a fight, one I didn't start, and I got shit for finishing it." 

"Are you okay? Did you go to the nurse's office?" Steve asked, eyes lighting up with concern. He stepped closer to Bucky, but then seemed to second-guess whatever he was going to do and just stood there. 

Bucky laughed and shook his head. "Nah, I'll be fine." 

Steve didn't even dignify him with an answer. He took Bucky by the arm and began to drag him behind him. It wasn't like Bucky was about to complain or fight against the blonde. The slender fingers of the blonde were warm and soft against his skin and, let's be honest, Bucky would have let Steve drag him to hell if that's what the blonde wanted. So, he let Steve lead him all the way to the nurse's office and push him inside. 

"Steve!" the woman said brightly and then her expression turned into one of confusion when she saw Bucky. "And James Barnes. I thought he didn't know where this place was."

Steve laughed and sat Bucky down in the lone chair in the office. "Spare him. He's one push away from bursting." 

"Hopeless cases are still your specialty, Steve?" the woman asked as she examined Bucky over. There wasn't much she could do, Bucky knew, but he stayed silent when she began to clean his knuckles. 

"He's not hopeless," Steve insisted, crossing his arms over his chest and giving the nurse a look. It was then that Bucky noticed the bathroom pass in the blonde's hand and he was about to point it out, but the nurse spoke before he could. 

"Your father certainly thinks he is," she said lightly. Bucky wondered when on earth Steve and the nurse had become so close, but then he figured there was a lot he didn't know about him. 

"My father has made getting Bucky arrested his mission ever since mom died."

"And now you've made him your mission too?" She phrased it as a question, but it was more of a statement. She finished lightly bandaging Bucky's knuckles and gave him a gentle pat on the shoulder. Bucky jumped at the touch, but quickly recovered and calmed down. The woman _had_ treated him with outmost care while she talked with Steve. Albeit they were talking about _him_ while he was _there_ , but he guessed he could forgive that. 

"Different sort of mission," Steve said and then motioned toward Bucky. "Come on, Buck. You need to get back to class and so do I." 

Bucky stood up without a question and was just about to head out when the nurse said, "Wait a second! What's the rush?"

Then Bucky heard the distinct sound of ripping paper and when he turned back to look at the nurse, she held two slips of paper in her hands. She offered one to each of them and smirked at them. "Here." 

She then said to Steve, a finger pointed at Bucky, "Keep an eye on this one."

"I'm trying," Steve said with a roll of his eyes before taking the slip of paper from her hand and opening the door of the small office. 

Bucky took the lone paper in her hand and mumbled a low, "Thanks," before following after Steve. 

The blonde was just about to head down the hall in the opposite direction of where Bucky needed to go, without even saying another word to Bucky, and he grabbed him by the back of his shirt before he could get too far. Steve immediately halted and looked back at Bucky with eyes shining with mirth, but a kind smile on his lips. "Yes, Buck? Are you finally going to invite me to join you in your quest to get arrested?" 

Bucky barked out a laugh, his head shaking and dark strands of hair falling into his face, and instinctively his hand tightened even more around Steve's shirt. "Hardly. I wasn't kidding when I told you how that was gonna end." 

"Then where are you going with this? Are you going to be less of a jerk to my dad so I can teach you how to make better pies? Although I think gardening may be your greater talent," Steve asked, smiling. 

"Don't even joke about that shit, Steve. I don't know how you can fucking do it. It's a cute little hobby, but fuck no," Bucky said in horror, shaking his head in obvious denial. No. Gardening was not the thing for Bucky. 

"Did you just call gardening _cute_? I take my gardening very seriously, Bucky, and you won't make fun of me for it," he said, crossing his arms over his chest and giving Bucky the least threatening glare he had seen in his life. 

Bucky just wanted to eat him up. How could he be so fucking adorable? Just looking at him made him think of the kiss on the cheek the blonde had given him. It wasn't a secret that Bucky wanted more of that, hopefully on his lips. . .and other places. This thought gave him the resolve and guts he needed and he said, "Go out with me?"

_Real smooth, Barnes. Real smooth,_ he thought to himself. Before he could amend his terrible phrasing of the question, to a way that made him sound like less of an idiot, Steve spoke up. "My house. Ten o'clock. Saturday. We'll make pie." 

Then the blonde got on his tip toes and gave Bucky a quick kiss on the cheek. Just as quickly, he began to walk away and called out, "Don't be late!" 

Bucky couldn't form words to reply. His brain had fried and he just stared after the blonde until he disappeared down the hall when he took a right. How had Bucky managed to make the blonde like him in the least? He had no clue. He was still trying to wrap him head around the fact that he'd been kissed, _again_ , by the blonde and he'd gone absolutely stupid. Bucky really was gonna turn into a pathetic little puddle in Steve's hands. God help him.

**{ • • • • • • }**

Bucky's friends made it their mission, their goal, their quest, their last dying wish, to make as much fun of Bucky as possible for his crush on the blonde. Bucky was positively drowning in the evilness of his friends. How had he landed himself with such terrible friends? He was not sure. They were cruel and they found Bucky's infatuation with Steve adorable.

They were obsessed enough that Bucky woke up Saturday morning with an onslaught of texts from his friends. He wanted to smash his phone against the wall until it broke into tiny pieces. Instead of carrying out that far more enjoyable action, he unlocked his phone to check his messages. 

_Today is the day_

_Your boyfriend anxiously waits for you to show your ass at his house_

_Do ya think the sheriff will be there?_

_Won't that be a mood killer?_

_And then Bucky felt the eyes of his mortal enemy on his back and felt the mood in the room turn colder and colder. How was he ever going to steal the heart of Saint Steve with the hard stare of his enemy behind him?_

Bucky had enough. He ignored the messages that continued the story that sounded like some terrible fan fiction and he texted back: _I hate all of you_

He then glanced at the time in his phone and groaned when he saw it was seven thirty in the morning. _What the fuck were his friends doing awake at that hour?_ Bucky questioned in his mind. The guys could usually sleep the morning away, easily waking up at two o'clock, but of course they couldn't do that that day. They had to make fun of Bucky until he died. 

_You love us_

_And so will Saint Steve_

_Seriously. Chill._

_He's too nice to not like you_

_And don't forget to bring us some pie afterward!_

_If you don't you leave us no choice_

Bucky texted back at that: _Leave you no choice but to do what?_

_Embarrass you until you fall dead_

_Like reminding you how you're speechless whenever he's around_

_Or how you stare after him when he walks into a room_

_Enough! Shut up already. I'll bring you some fucking pie!_ Bucky texted back before he could take no more of them. 

_Fuck yes!_

_We wish all the homo on you guys_

_Try to be cool_

_And then to finish the evening romantically, cuss his dad out. **That'll** win him over. _

Bucky threw his phone against a wall. He couldn't help but cringe when he heard it smack against the floor. He decided not to look at the possibly wounded phone. He didn't need another reason to freak out. He was already going to the house of the enemy to make _pie_ , that was more than enough torture for his soul. 

Bucky stepped out of his room to walk to the kitchen and found the face of his sister peeking out from her open bedroom door. She looked at him strangely, eyes narrowed but sleepy, and she decided to step out without a word. She walked over to him and grabbed his arm before yawning loudly. 

"Mm, what ya doin' awake?" she slurred, words strung along one after the other in her sleepiness. 

"My friends woke me up. Have I told you recently that they're the fucking spawns of all evil?" 

"Ugh," she groaned and gave him a soft shove. "It's too early in the morning for big words like that. Shhh. You gonna make me pancakes?" 

Bucky laughed and ruffled up her hair until it stuck out in a mess above her head. She let out a sound of complaint and failed to swat his hand away. "Now you have to make me pancakes. Get ta' workin', delinquent."

"Yes, ma'am," he said, and headed toward the kitchen. She followed after him, still clinging onto his arm, and only let go of him when they passed the dining table. She plopped down on a chair and watched in a sleep induced stare as Bucky stepped into the kitchen and started taking out the few things he needed to make pancakes. 

He made the pancakes for three reasons. One: there was little his sister could ask from him that he would say no to. Two: he was hungry and he might as well feed himself as well as his sister. Three: it was a welcome distraction from thinking about his date with Steve.

By the time he sat down to eat his large stack of pancakes, his sister was already full and groaning as she stared up at the ceiling. He laughed as he took a bite of a pancake and she moaned out, "I ate too much. Why?"

"Because I make damn good pancakes," he replied with a satisfied smirk. She groaned once again and rolled to her side on the floor. His little sister had a flair for the dramatic when the weekends rolled around. The rest of the time she acted more like _his_ older sister. 

Bucky tried not to laugh or he might choke on his pancakes and looked up when he heard his parents walk into the kitchen. They looked at Bucky and Becca with confusion, but when Bucky pointed at the small stack of pancakes that remained, they nodded. "Thanks."

His dad went off to brew some coffee for himself and Bucky's mom and he tried not to smile. None of the members of his family were morning people. They liked sleeping in and staying up till late. 

His mom was the first to speak. "What are you doing up?" 

"My friends woke me up," he shrugged, trying to play if off in the hopes that they wouldn't ask more, but of course they did. If it did not involve any sort of criminal activity, his parents wanted to know everything about Bucky's life.

"Why? You guys have plans for today?" his dad asked, turning to look back at him and away from the coffee machine. 

"No. I'm going to Steve's house today," he said in a rush, trying to get all the words out as quickly as possible so that his parents might drop it.

"Steve Rogers house? The son of the sheriff?" his mom asked, sounding baffled. 

"Yes, I’m gonna leave the kitchen now," he said, getting up quickly and disappearing into his room before his parents could say anything else. He locked the door behind him and closed his eyes tight for a few seconds to get a hold of himself. 

It was just a date. With Steve. In his house. Where they were gonna make pie. Yeah, okay. Bucky was definitely freaking out. He didn't just _make_ pie. Hell, what the fuck was Bucky even thinking? He had cero chances with Steve. 

Bucky then thought about how Sheriff Rogers would react if he actually made his son fall for him. That was all the push he needed. He was gonna win over Steve's heart because he _wanted_ to and because it would piss off the sheriff. It was a win-win (especially if it got Steve as his boyfriend. How could that ever be a failure?) 

With his confidence finally back, Bucky chose his clothes and threw them on the bed. He still had some time before he had to leave his house and he wasn't going to waste it having a freak out. He could do this. He could charm the fuck out of Steve and he would. 

**

{ • • • • • • }

**

Bucky stood just in front of Steve's house and took a calming breath to settle the nerves that had started to take form in the pit of his stomach. He lifted his hand up to knock and the door opened just moments later. Steve stood under the doorframe wearing a dark blue t-shirt and some knee-length khakis, looking way too cute for Bucky to handle. The blonde grinned up at Bucky, sincere and open, and Bucky wondered again about his luck. It seemed impossible that the blonde could be welcoming him so gladly into his house when two weeks ago Bucky had wrecked the guy's garden. 

"Come in," Steve said, opening the door to let him in. 

Bucky stepped inside and tried not to shove his hands into his pockets awkwardly. He didn't know what it was about Steve that made him lose half his cool. It was like all he knew how to do was look around and try to come up with words. 

Before Bucky could get lost in his thoughts, Steve grabbed his hand and led him toward the kitchen. Bucky wasn't even allowed to register the touch before it was gone and Steve had let him go. He looked around the kitchen and found that most of the ingredients and tools had already been set out on the counter. 

"Are you always this efficient?" Bucky asked, looking at everything mildly impressed and mildly terrified. He silently prayed that he didn't have a crush on a neat-freak. 

"It's called being organized, Buck. Now come on. I'm gonna teach you how to make a proper pie. Starting with homemade crust," he said, and as if to emphasize his point slammed a bag of flour against Bucky's chest. 

Bucky had no idea what he had gotten himself into. Steve was like a drill sergeant, a kind one at least, listing off ingredients and helping Bucky measure them before they poured them into a stand-up mixer. Then he started saying the texture they were looking for before turning on the mixer. 

Bucky took that small moment to just look at Steve. The blonde was still talking, cheerful and light, and Bucky was trying really hard to keep up. He wanted to catch everything the blonde said, but it was nearly impossible. Steve talked a million miles an hour and Bucky briefly wondered if it was because he was nervous. 

When Steve turned off the mixer, saying something about how they needed to work out the dough now by hand, Bucky put a hand on his arm. He smiled, rueful and charming, and said, "Relax, Steve. We have all day to make this pie. I ain't going nowhere. Aren't dates supposed to be fun?"

The blonde turned beet red and tried, unsuccessfully, to hide his face. He scratched the back of his head and looked at Bucky sheepishly, ears turning just as bright red as his face. Bucky laughed and gave him a small shove before taking the bowl off the mixer. "What now, pastry chef?" 

"Now we have to add some water and incorporate it into the dough so that it's not dry and crumbly," Steve explained, still pink on the face and looking for a measuring spoon. He poured in some water and then showed Bucky how to mix it together with thin practiced fingers. 

"Try it," Steve said after working through the dough a little. 

"O-okay," Bucky said, skeptical. He knew he was very much capable of ruining the dough and that was the last thing he wanted. Still, he listened to Steve and began to do as the blonde had done. He felt clumsy at it, inadequate, out of place, and kept glancing back at Steve for approval. He had no fucking idea what he was doing. 

"That's it! Okay. Now divide it in two disks and then wrap them up in plastic wrap to leave them in the fridge to chill," Steve said, immediately placing his hands on Bucky's to stop what he was doing. 

Bucky grinned at him just to watch the blonde turn bright pink. Satisfied when Steve looked positively embarrassed, Bucky set out to do exactly what Steve had said and then placed the dough in the fridge. He turned to look back at the blonde with a smile of satisfaction, but he was met with a bowl of apples being placed in his hands. 

"Wash these and peel these. I'll look for everything else we need," Steve said and gave Bucky a gentle nudge toward the sink.

"Did I just come here to become your slave? Is this some weird power thing you have going on to feed your ego?" Bucky asked, raising an eyebrow at Steve and setting the bowl into the sink. 

"Yes. That's exactly what I had in mind. All work and no play. Wanted to see if I could make troublemaker Bucky Barnes do exactly as I say since you clearly have a problem with adults telling you what to do," Steve said smartly. 

Bucky threw an apple peel at his face and laughed when it landed right smack over the blonde's eye. The blonde narrowed his eyes at Bucky and said, "Oh, so that's how you want to go at this? Don't worry. I'll get back at you." 

"I'd like to see you try," Bucky replied before going back to his task of peeling apples. He could hear Steve rummaging around the kitchen looking for whatever else it was that they needed and he tried to bite back a grin. 

When Steve had finished this, he walked over to Bucky and hovered over him as he continued to peel apples. He could feel the eyes of the blonde examining him and he smirked before offering him a peeled apple. "You're just gonna stand there watching me or are you going to cut these into pieces?" 

"And here I thought I was the one giving orders," Steve replied, but he took out a cutting board and began to cut the apples into pieces. Right about then was that Bucky noticed that Steve placed the cut pieces into what looked like a bowl full of lemon-flavored soda. He stared at the bowl quizzically and Steve, instead of explaining himself, threw an apple piece in Bucky's direction. Bucky very proudly caught it in his mouth and bit it. 

"You're a show off. I'm sure you're like this with all your other dates." 

"Only the cute, skinny and blonde ones who have parents who are cops," Bucky bit back, handing the blonde the last peeled apple. He then crossed his arms over his chest and stared at the blonde as he deftly cut the apples. 

"Ha! Does that mean you're only here because of my dad? Cause if you haven't noticed, he's nowhere in sight," Steve said, sounding just the slightest bit upset. 

"I didn't come here to get in your dad's pants. I came here to get into _yours_ ," he said. Just to tease the blonde, he stood behind him and put his arms around his waist. He pressed his cheek against the blonde's and gently moved his face up and down before pressing a loud kiss on the blonde's cheek. He pulled away with a devilish laugh that turned into raucous laughter when the blonde threw another piece of apple at him. This time he was too busy laughing to catch it and it fell to the floor. 

"Stay away from me, James. My dad might be right about you after all," Steve said, but there was no conviction to his words and his cheeks were scarlet red with a blush. Victory for Bucky. 

"Your dad doesn't know half of anything about me."

"I know. My mom did. I know it was against your will that she found out things about you, but that's my mom for you right there," Steve said with a shrug, leaning back against the kitchen counter.

Bucky literally jumped at the thought of Steve's mom. It was true, he had met Sarah Rogers quite a few times before she died. First it had been because the woman made the best brownies in existence and then it was because Bucky had a way of getting into trouble and ending up in front of Sarah Rogers and the sheriff. He was never quite sure why the woman believed so strongly in him and always managed to get him off the hook on everything, but he was thankful for it. Sheriff Rogers hadn't lied when he said that it was because of his wife that Bucky was not in juvy. 

"Your mom was _something_ ," Bucky said, kicking softly at nothing on the floor. 

"I think the word you're looking for is amazing," Steve said with a sad smile. 

Bucky nodded and stepped up to the blonde. He elbowed him playfully and said, "Don't get all sad on me. Are we gonna keep making this pie or not? My friends already said they would own my soul if I didn't bring them some." 

That made Steve burst out into laughter and nod quickly in agreement. "Let's get our baking on."

**{ • • • • • • }**

The next few hours Bucky spent in Steve's house were some of the best he'd ever had. The blonde cracked out jokes and just settled into a more relaxed version of himself. Bucky had successfully ignored his phone the whole day, happy just to be with the blonde. He also didn't want to risk seeing the text messages of his friends and having to go through the torture of what they might say.

The two of them had already finished making the pie and it sat cooling on the kitchen counter as they sat outside. There hadn't been any cooked food in the kitchen, so they had just scrambled around until they found some chips and some dip and then sat outside in Steve's backyard. Steve was animatedly talking about his garden, pointing at different patches where they had planted flowers instead of vegetables. The plants had some small stems sticking out and Steve spoke of them as if they were the single most magnificent thing he had ever seen. 

His eyes were sparkling as he then kneeled in front of his apple tree and pointed at the new leaves it had grown. All the while he kept chatting animatedly about things Bucky didn't even understand half of. He just sat back, eating chips, and staring at the blonde as he spoke and fretted over his plants. 

He was so at ease that he didn't hear the door to the backyard open. He was too busy listening to Steve explain _something_ about the growth of. . .trees? Fruit? He wasn't sure. 

Steve froze mid-sentence, though, and that was when Bucky looked back. Sheriff Rogers stood just a few steps away from them, dressed in his uniform, and with a worn expression on his face. He didn't seem to have the strength to glower at Bucky and Bucky was in a too good mood to smirk or do much of anything. Plus, he also thought about how he had accidentally agreed to behave around Steve's dad by accepting the blonde's offer to make pie. 

"Hi, dad. How was work?" the blonde asked, trying to keep things light. 

"Busy. Did you make that pie inside?" Sheriff Rogers asked, sounding skeptical but like he was trying his hardest to stay civil in the face of what he was seeing. 

"Yeah, Bucky and I made it," Steve said, standing up and making his way toward his dad. "We can all probably try it right now." 

Steve did not leave any of them much of a choice and stepped back into the house. He went straight to the kitchen and looked for a knife and some plates to serve the pie. Bucky watched as the blonde methodically cut into the pie and served on each plate a reasonably sized piece of apple pie. He did not speak before he handed Bucky a plate and then one for his dad. 

Bucky stayed equally as silent as he accepted the plate. He picked up his spoon and dug into the piece of pie. Just at the first taste Bucky had to keep himself from audibly moaning. That piece of pie was possibly the most delicious thing he had ever tasted in his life. He wanted to marry the piece of pie in his hands. Damn it, it was fucking amazing. Just another reason to fall even more helplessly for the blonde standing just a few steps away. 

He tried his hardest to keep his features composed as he felt the eyes of the sheriff on him. He felt like he was being scrutinized and found unworthy, but he tried to ignore the feeling. He was just dying to give the sheriff a smart quip, but he swallowed the words. He told himself to focus on the heavenly piece of pie in his hand and ignore everything else. 

The Sheriff finished his piece of pie before he spoke up. He set his empty plate on the dining table and pointed at Bucky. "Whatever you're trying to do here with _him_ , I don't support it. He's trouble. He's going to get _you_ in trouble."

"I think I'm capable of making my own decisions, dad. Don't you?" Steve asked, raising a blonde eyebrow at his dad. 

The sheriff took a deep breath and stabbed a finger into the air near Bucky, "When this one is gone, you and I are going to have a talk." 

"Can't wait," Steve mumbled, turning back to where the rest of the pie still lay untouched. 

The sheriff turned to leave, but not before saying to Bucky, "You're going to tear apart what's left of this family." 

Bucky felt both like he had just been stabbed and fired up with anger. He took a step toward the older man, ready to give him a piece of his mind, but Steve came in between them immediately. He put a hand on Bucky's chest and said, "Please don't. Try to finish this day telling yourself that you managed not to say something snarky to my dad even though he was being rude." 

Bucky took in a shuddering breath, hands clenched into fists, but he nodded and took a step back. The sheriff didn't say another word and disappeared in the direction his room was probably in. Bucky stared after him, feeling his blood boiling, and tried to remind himself to keep still for Steve's sake and for his own. The day had gone so well. He didn't want it to end in shit because of a certain sheriff. 

"Thanks for not saying anything," Steve said, giving Bucky a tired smile. 

He nodded and focused on his breathing so he could calm down. Steve turned away from him and went in search of a disposable plate and some plastic wrap. Once he had these items, Bucky watched him place a rather large portion of what remained of the pie on the plate. He then covered it with the plastic wrap and offered it to Bucky like some sort of gesture of good will. 

"What's all that for? Doesn't that leave very little for you?" Bucky asked, sneaking a glance at the meager remains of pie that presumably Steve was going to keep. 

"It's for your friends. Maybe you can give some to your little sister." Steve shrugged nonchalantly and kept the plate extended out to Bucky. 

Bucky didn't think twice before he took the plate in one hand and cupped Steve's cheek with the other. He leaned down and pressed a firm kiss on those soft lips. Steve let out a short little gasp of surprise and Bucky smiled softly before he chased those lips with his and kissed the blonde again. It was short and sweet, just enough for Steve to kiss back, before Bucky pulled away. "Your dad is going to find it really hard to keep me away." 

"I sure hope that's a promise, Buck," Steve said, nose and cheeks slightly tinged pink. At the sight, Bucky just wanted to pepper kisses all over the blonde's face, but he chose not to. . . At least not that day. 

"You bet it is, Stevie."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The bowl Steve used to put the cut apples in did have lemon flavored soda (aka Sprite or 7-UP). It can be used to keep apples from turning brown and it can be used instead of just straight up lemon juice (a flavor the apples can absorb). Fun fact I learned from my mother who occasionally makes apple pie xD
> 
> And yes, this is gonna have another part cause I couldn't resist. Plus, I felt like this chapter was getting too lengthy to finish it all off here. The next part WILL be the last one, tho. That I can promise.


	4. Chapter 4

There was a special place in hell reserved just for the little shits Bucky liked to call his best friends. They all had the most inexplicable desire to embarrass the shit out of Bucky and it was a habit they seemed nowhere near inclined of abandoning. Their lack of desire to abandon this task was shown the Monday following Bucky's first date with Steve. Bucky had thought he would regret bringing his friends the leftover apple pie he had made with Steve and he was right. He should have never given them pie. The only one who deserved to get some pie was his little sister, but that was a whole different problem now. She was convinced Steve needed to come over to their house as soon as possible so they could make pie together. . .Let's go back to the original problem which were Bucky's friends whom he was preparing to kill. 

The only graceful thing his friends had going for them was that at lunch time they walked over to the table Steve sat with his friends at as if they had done it countless times before. The only reason Bucky had not stopped them from doing so was because he was still stuck in line to get food. So, he was left with no other choice but to stare after his friends as they casually sat down at Steve's table. He was pretty sure he did **not** want to know what his friends were saying or _would_ say. 

Trying not to look as mortified as he felt, Bucky tried to will the lunch line ahead of him to move quicker. It didn't really work, but the moment he had food on his tray, he walked over to Steve's table. He was prepared to speak as soon as he was within ear shot and stop whatever horrors were being spoken at the table, but one of his friends beat him to it. "Tell us you're going to marry our little Bucky."

"You have to! Please!" another of the boys said, grabbing Steve by his shoulders and giving him a gentle shake. Steve's eyes went wide and he looked helplessly over to Bucky. 

"What are you guys talking about?" Bucky asked, looking at his friends suspiciously. He didn't like how their conversation sounded. _Why did his friends have to be the way they were?_

"Haven't you heard? You and Steve are engaged!" a female voice said brightly, eyes turning toward Bucky. He recognized her immediately as the beautiful Peggy Carter. Even Bucky had heard enough about her to know she was not to be messed with, underneath the pretty face was a badass. Said badass currently had a smirk on her lips as she gave Steve a proud pat on the back. 

"What do you say, Buck? I think eloping is your sort of thing, right?" Steve asked innocently, cheeks just slightly flushed with embarrassment. He was playing a long with the others, but it was obvious he was uncomfortable and wanted the topic to change. 

"Yes! Definitely," another one of Bucky's friends said. He was grinning ear to ear and genuinely looking like evil incarnate. 

"Aren't you guys a little young to be getting married?" Steve's friend, Sam, spoke up with a fake look of concern in his eyes. Bucky was starting to wonder if he wasn't the only one with friends who were little shits. 

"I, for one, support it one hundred percent," Clint said, beaming a grin at all of them. 

Yes. Bucky was most certainly not the only one with evil friends. 

Bucky sort of gave up and took a seat beside his friends. He looked at them and asked, "Why exactly do you guys think I should marry Steve?" 

"Apart from the fact that you've been into him for, _at least_ , a year, it's because you would make a super cute pie-making power couple. So, you're not allowed to fuck up this flowering relationship. You lose Steve and you lose us." 

"Yup. Sorry, Bucky. Steve is the more gifted friend," one of them said with a well-rehearsed expression that said 'oh well'. The other boys nodded their agreement and Steve's friends snickered. Bucky was going to kill them all. 

"Did you guys forget the part where Steve's dad hates you all as much as he hates me?" Bucky asked, raising an eyebrow at his friends. 

"He doesn't hate you!" Steve quickly said, looking horrified at Bucky's words. His blue eyes were wide and he shook his head in adamant denial. 

"Well, saying that I'm gonna tear your family apart sounds like straight out love to me. You're right, Stevie," Bucky said sarcastically, giving the blonde a look. Bucky was just trying to put an end to the conversation, he wasn't really looking to argue with the blonde, but he knew he was right about this. Sheriff Rogers did not like Bucky in the slightest. 

"He said that?" Sam asked, actually surprised. 

Bucky and Steve nodded silently in unison. Bucky felt angry just thinking about the sheriff, but tried to keep a level-head in that moment. It wasn't the time or place to get angry over the sheriff. The man wasn't even _there_. 

Peggy looked between the two of them and said, "Yikes." 

"Can we go back to happier thoughts? You know, the ones where Steve and Bucky get married and walk off into a pie-making sunset?" one of Bucky's friends said. 

All the others at the table burst out laughing and Bucky simply rolled his eyes. Steve was now officially red in the face and looking like he was trying to figure out how to run away. Bucky looked at him and whispered, "Ignore them. They're assholes."

"Who happen to be your friends. I thought you'd be happier, Bucky. We're wishing you a very happy future with Steve Rogers." 

"Yeah, sounds great. Is there a part where Steve's dad tries to kill me?" Bucky asked, unamused. He knew he was bringing the mood down, but it was only to get his friends to shut up. He could tell that Steve was growing uncomfortable and Bucky certainly did not want his _friends_ to scare Steve away. He was finally making some damn progress. He had kissed the blonde for fuck's sakes! No, his friends weren't going to screw this up for Bucky. 

Steve threw a grape in Bucky's direction, obviously with the purpose of hitting him on the face, but Bucky instinctively caught it in his mouth. Steve glared, adorably, at Bucky and crossed his arms over his chest. Bucky grinned back at the blonde before he took a bite of the grape and quickly said, "Thanks, Stevie." 

Steve rolled his eyes and said, "My father isn't going to kill you or arrest you. I won't let him." 

"Well, you can't really stop your dad if he catches Bucky doing something he shouldn't," Sam said seriously, giving Bucky a look. Bucky seriously wished people would stop with that. He was trying to behave! He was! Couldn't people just give him a chance? 

"Like Steve?" Dum Dum said smartly, raising an eyebrow. 

Steve turned bright fire-truck red and stared down at his tray of food. His friends laughed at his embarrassment and nudged him mercilessly. They then high-fived Bucky's friends happily and Steve somehow managed to turn redder. 

"Okay, Steve. You can keep Bucky's friends," Natasha said, the red-head smiling brightly with eyes full of mischief. 

"And I can just go fuck myself, right? If that's how it's gonna be," Bucky said feigning sadness. He grabbed his tray and made a move to stand up. He didn't get far before hands were on him and shoving him back into his seat. 

"Please, _this_ ," Natasha said, pointing first at Steve and then at Bucky, "has just started." 

Bucky certainly hoped the red-head was right. He wasn't going to go down without a fight, Sheriff Rogers didn't scare him, but he didn't want the animosity between him and Steve's dad to come between them. Bucky _really_ liked the cute history nerd sitting in front of him and he would fight for him if he had to. 

**

{ • • • • • • }

**

When Bucky thought he would fight for Steve, he never thought it would be literally. Over the course of two months, Steve had shown him that he did, in fact, have to fight for him. Well, he didn't _have_ to fight for him. More like Steve got into a fight, always to defend someone, and because he was all skin and bones and no muscle, he ran the risk of getting his ass kicked. Bucky certainly wasn't going to let that happen if he had any say in it. 

The truth was Bucky had never known Steve was such a little fighter. He'd always seen him as this good kid who never got into any sort of trouble. . .and that wasn't exactly true. Bucky, certainly, never thought the skinny little punk got into many fights. Bucky quickly learned better. He also now knew it was because of the blonde's need to defend others (and what he said was "right") that the nurse in the school knew him so well. 

Bucky thought he would get a break from getting into trouble because of the blonde, but, well, that wasn't exactly what happened. It certainly seemed like that wasn't what was going to happen to Bucky that day. He'd asked for a bathroom pass (because he was only human and had bodily needs) and had just stepped out of the classroom, when he heard what clearly sounded like a heated argument. He didn't even have to understand the words being spoken to know who was one of the guys involved. It was Steve, his little idiot, probably getting in someone's face. 

Bucky immediately went in the direction of where he heard the voices. He found Steve standing by some lockers, giving a dude, that was twice his size, a piece of his mind. He kept getting in the other guy's space, clearly looking to start up a fight, while a girl stood nearby trying to intervene. She was shaking slightly, looking unsure, and she kept trying to touch the boys but they moved out of reach. 

Bucky sighed tiredly, but his annoyance quickly turned into anger when the other guy threw a punch directly at Steve. The blonde failed to move out of the way in time and the fist of the guy hit him in the eye. Bucky's jaw clenched and he stormed toward the two boys immediately. He was vaguely aware of the girl saying (or maybe it was Steve?), "Bucky, don't!" 

It was too late. Bucky took hold of the guy easily and slammed him against the lockers. He punched the guy on the face, for good measure, and kept his fist balled up in the guy's t-shirt. "Are we going to have a problem here? 

"Bucky! Let him go! I got this!" Steve said, pushing at Bucky, but failing to move him even an inch. 

Bucky glared at the guy in his grasp and the boy shook his head immediately. It was slowly getting around what happened to those who tried to have a go at Steve. Bucky was well aware that Steve was like a little Chihuahua looking for someone to fight him, but that didn't mean that someone _should_. So, Bucky had ended some of Steve's fights for him. He wasn't about to apologize for it. 

Bucky was just about ready to let go of the guy when a voice said, "James Buchanan Barnes, let go of that student right now!" 

It was Mrs. Landon, Bucky's math teacher. Let's just say she and Bucky didn't have the nicest relationship (not that Bucky had a nice relationship with any of his teachers for that matter). He tended to be a snarky ass in her class and, well, she thanked him by dragging Bucky all the time to the principal's office. Fun times. 

Bucky let go of the guy and before he could escape, Mrs. Landon said, "All of you follow me right now." 

Bucky groaned and tried not to hide his face in his hands. He needed to graduate damn it and at this rate he wouldn't. Graduation was still more than a year away, Bucky was still a junior, but he wanted to graduate with his _class_. If Steve kept getting into fights, Bucky couldn't promise he would stay out of them and that could get him into a fuck load of trouble. 

He looked over at Steve who narrowed his blue eyes and crossed his arms over his chest. Looking adorably grumpy, and just the slightest bit angry, the blonde said, "I didn't need you to butt in. I could have handled it! Now look at what you've done."

"Yeah, whatever, punk. Let's go with Mrs. Landon before she decides she prefers to kill us than hand us over to the principal," Bucky said, taking Steve by the bottom of his shirt and dragging him behind him. Steve grumbled under his breath, but followed after Bucky. 

Just five minutes later, they were in the principal's office and all of them were talking at once. The girl was trying to defend Steve and Bucky, the dude was trying to defend himself, Steve was puffing out words sounding offended and agitated, and Bucky was spewing out all the curse words he knew. The principal was looking like he was about done with the lot of them. 

"Enough, all of you!" The older man said, his voice cutting through the air. Bucky glared daggers at him, but fought to keep his mouth shut when Steve immediately did so. 

"Which one of you is going to talk first?" the principal asked, staring at all of them tiredly. Bucky was ready to say a few choice words to the principal, but he stayed silent. 

"I am," Steve said, straightening where he stood and continuing to speak in a very calm manner. "I was trying to defend Liz. This guy was saying really rude things and was making a move on her when she clearly wanted him to stay away from her. I stepped in to stop him and he punched me. Bucky saw it and he walked up to us and grabbed this guy and punched him. That's it, that's the whole story, and if he denies it then he's lying." 

The good thing about having Steve on Bucky's side? It kept the principal from being too harsh because Steve had the face of an innocent little angel and he was an honor student. No teacher or principal liked punishing a student they had learned to love over the years. Thanks to this, the principal said, "Fine. If I or any other teacher catches you in another fight, there will be consequences. You can't go around all the school fighting students." 

Steve nodded and said, "I understand. It won't happen again."

Now, _that_ was what Bucky liked to call bullshit. He could already see the blonde in another fight in a couple of days. What was he going to do with that skinny little punk? 

The principal nodded and dismissed all of them. They all stepped out, but Steve and Bucky lingered nearby. Bucky grabbed Steve by his shirt and dragged the blonde closer to his body. He looked down at him and saw that the eye the guy had punched was slowly bruising. Already it was turning from an angry red to a sort of purple-ish color. It wasn't _bad_ , not really, but it still upset Bucky. He tightened his hold on Steve's shirt and said, "You need to stop getting into fights, Steve."

"But you can get into them, right? How is it fair that you can beat the shit out of someone but I can't try to do the same trying to defend someone?" Steve asked angrily, glaring at Bucky. 

Bucky laughed and before the blonde could complain, he kissed him, a simple peck on the lips. "Steve, if it were up to you your whole body would be purple from all the fights you would get into. I don't know how you've stayed in once piece for so long." 

Steve glared at him, but there wasn't any real force behind it. He grumbled something under his breath and looked away from Bucky. "I'm just trying to do what's right."

"That's great, Steve. But I'd prefer if 'doing what's right' didn't involve someone beating the shit out of you," Bucky said with a tired sigh. When the blonde still didn't look at him, he cupped his face and forced those blue eyes to meet his. 

"I don't need you to protect me, Buck," Steve mumbled, reluctantly looking at Bucky. 

Bucky barked out a laugh and shook his head. "And I thought I was the troublemaker here. Does your dad know about the fighter in you? Cause if he blames it on me I'm straightening him out." 

Steve narrowed his eyes and said, "Bite me." 

"Where?" Bucky asked, immediately leaning down to bury his face in Steve's neck before he spoke again. "Cause all of you looks really delicious right now." 

Steve laughed grudgingly and pushed Bucky away. He fixed those blue eyes on Bucky and he immediately froze in place. He felt a grin taking form on his lips and it solidified when Steve rolled his eyes. 

"Jerk," the blonde said. 

"Punk," Bucky easily replied and gave the blonde a quick kiss (because he stole as many as he could whenever possible). He let go of the blonde and took a few steps back. "Don't you have a class to get to? Being an honor student and all?" 

Steve childishly stuck his tongue out at Bucky and then walked away without another word. Bucky just laughed and went on his own way to the class he was supposed to be in. 

**

{ • • • • • • }

**

Bucky was very gladly (and blindly) letting Steve lead him outside. Their summer break had started a couple of days before and the two of them were currently in Steve's house because the blonde wanted to surprise Bucky. He was carrying the blonde on his back, and his hands were covering Bucky's eyes. The blonde kept whispering instructions into Bucky's ear and he slowly guided them both outside. Bucky wasn't sure why he was being so trusting. Well, he did know. It was because he was crazy in love with the blonde punk he was carrying on his back. 

"Don't open your eyes yet!" Steve exclaimed, even when Bucky knew for a fact they had already taken a few steps outside. He listened to him, though, because there really wasn't any other choice. "Take a few more steps."

Bucky did so and then whined, "Are we there yet?" 

Steve uncovered Bucky's eyes and quickly threw his arms around Bucky's neck. "Surprise!" 

Bucky blinked a few times to focus on what was in front of him. When Bucky registered what he saw, he couldn't help the grin that took shape in his lips. Steve had planned a little picnic for them, but it wasn't just that. Steve's garden was in full bloom. His flowers were big and colorful, smiling up at Bucky cheerfully. The garden had a few tomatoes and other vegetables growing. The apple tree and avocado tree had grown considerably and stood proudly erect before the two of them. 

Steve was standing beside Bucky with a huge grin on his face. His eyes were sparkling as he looked up at Bucky and said, "Look at my garden! It's so much more colorful because of you!" 

Bucky then felt more than saw Steve throw himself into his arms and draw him close for a kiss. Bucky gladly obliged and kissed the blonde. Steve laughed into the kiss and pulled away only to press soft little kisses all over Bucky's face. Bucky joined Steve in his laughter and was rewarded with even more kisses. 

"You're the best!" Steve said, finally pulling away, but with his arms firmly wrapped around Bucky's waist. 

"Wasn't I the one who wrecked your garden in the first place?" Bucky asked, raising an eyebrow. He already knew what Steve would say back before the blonde did. 

"Yes, but if it weren't for your guilt it wouldn't have so many different vegetables and flowers. Sure, the trees still have a long way to go, but that's okay." He rubbed his nose against Bucky's and said, "I think mom is happier with the garden like this. I think she's happier up there knowing that you're here with me." 

Bucky bit his lip and stared down at the grass beneath his boots. He wanted really badly to smile and agree with the blonde, but he wasn't sure he did. The blonde squandered his doubts in a second. He grabbed his face in his hands and said, "Hey, I know for a fact that my mom saw only the best in you. She knew you weren't all bad and one day my dad will too. You make me happy, Buck, and at the end of the day that's all they'll care about." 

Bucky smiled, a genuine smile, Steve's favorite smile, and nodded. He gave his boyfriend a kiss on the cheek and said, "You make me happy too, Stevie." 

"I better," Steve said, giving him a gentle nudge. 

Bucky's smile turned into a grin and he looked away from his gorgeous boyfriend and to the picnic he had prepared. There was a red, white and blue blanket on the grass and a basket full of food on a corner of it. It was simple, but it was perfect and all Bucky wanted. If Sheriff Rogers showed up later and gave them shit, well, Bucky didn't care. _Steve_ wanted him there and that was all that mattered. He could go another day handling the sheriff if it meant Steve was there by his side saying he was exactly where he had to be. 

**

THE END

**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahahahaha! That last scene was so ridiculously fluffy that I'm laughing at myself. Someone needs to stop me.

**Author's Note:**

> I regret nothing about this fic except that I was sort of tempted to make it longer, but did not. I'm sorry it took me so long to write a new fic after I promised lots of fics during summer. Writer's block is a bitch. 
> 
> Don’t be scared to send me prompts [ here](http://misplacedstraightjacket.tumblr.com/ask).


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